Touch fastener with magnetic attractant

ABSTRACT

A fastening component of a separable fastener has some portion that is necessary for its fastening function, such as the hooks, the base to which the hooks are attached or a substrate that is used for another purpose, comprised of a magnetically attractive constituent. Another portion of the fastening component is comprised of a magnetically inert constituent. The fastening element may be the hook portion or the loop portion of a typical fastener. The fastening elements and the base may be unitary, or of different precursors, such as in a woven fastener component. The magnetically inert constituent may comprise a polymeric plastic or a thermoplastic elastomer. The magnetic attractant may impregnate the magnetically inert constituent, or it may coat or be coated by the magnetically inert constituent. The magnetic attractant may comprise a metal powder. The metal may be selected from the group consisting of iron powder. The magnetic attractant may be an organo-iron or a rare earth metal. In a woven fastener, either the base structure or the hooks may include the magnetic attractant, or both may do so. The material that forms the hooks may be entirely of a magnetically attractive material, with the material that forms the woven base being magnetically inert. Rather than the magnetically attractive material being incorporated into the fastening elements or the base, it may be incorporated into the substrate that is formed from a precursor element that is separate from the base, and that is joined to the base.

This application is a divisonal of application(s) U.S. Ser. No.09/365,273 (parenet application), filed on Jul. 30, 1999, U.S. Pat. No.6,128,970, which is a continuation of the grandparent application Ser.No. 09/035,225, U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,311, filed on Mar. 5, 1998, which isa divisional of the great grandparent application Ser. No. 08/390,876,U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,928, filed on Feb. 17, 1995.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to touch fasteners in general, and morespecifically, to touch fasteners for incorporation by molding intomolded articles.

Hook and loop type separable touch fasteners, such as those sold by theassignee of this application under the trademark Velcro, are well-knownand are used to join two members detachably to each other. This type offastener has two components. Each has a flexible substrate materialhaving one component of the fastening system on a fastening surfacethereof. One component is typically comprised of resilient hooks whilethe other is comprised of loops, and when the two surfaces are pressedtogether they interlock to form a releasable engagement.

Separable fasteners are used in the manufacture of automobile seats inthe attachment of an upholstered seat cover to a polyurethane foam bun.One portion of the separable fastener is incorporated onto the surfaceof the polyurethane foam bun during the foam molding process. The matingportion of the separable fastener is attached to the seat cover toprovide releasable attachment to the foam bun. The separable fastenerassembly used in the foam mold for incorporation in the bun surfacetypically comprises the hooked portion of a separable fastener. Thishook portion is characterized by a base carrying resilient hooks on afastening surface. The opposite, non-fastening surface of the base maycarry anchor projections to become incorporated into the foam to providestable attachment of the separable fastener assembly to the foamarticle. It is also common for a backing layer or substrate to mate withthe non-fastening face of the base. The substrate may be of a materialthat is more conducive to handling, of the component or its adherence toother articles. Anchor projections may also project from the substrate.Further, other components can be sandwiched between the substrate andthe base.

A protective layer, such as a thin plastic film, may be placed over theresilient hooks, to prevent incursion of foam into the hooks during themolding process, since significant foam contamination of the hooks wouldaffect their ability to engage with the mating portion of the fastenerattached to the seat cover. Alternatively, an elastomeric cover thatintimately surrounds the hooks, except for a small portion at theirtips, can also be used. After the molded article is fabricated andremoved from the mold, the elastomeric material is removed.

In some assemblies, a magnetically attractive shim is attached to thebase to facilitate placement of the assembly in a valley (also known asa trench or trough) of the mold cavity wall, which is equipped withmagnets. The shim also helps secure the hook-carrying face of thecomponent tightly against the mold wall, thereby further minimizingincursion of the foam into the hooks. The assemblies may be referred toas “mold-in” fasteners or assemblies, due to their use in such moldedproducts.

The shim can be incorporated into different locations in the assembly.It can be sandwiched between the hook carrying base and a substrate orbacking layer, either temporary or permanent. It can be locatedcentrally relative to the width of the hook-carrying base, or along itsmarginal edges. In cases where a thin plastic film is used to cover thehooks, the shim can be sandwiched between the plastic sheet and thehooks.

As mentioned above, it is also known to substantially cover the hookregion with an elastomeric material that protects the hooks againstincursion of the foam. It is known to include a magnetic attractant inthis elastomeric material.

Known methods of adhering the protective film cover to the hook-carryingcomponent include to use a long bead of hot melt adhesive there between.It is also known to include a magnetic attractant in this hot meltmaterial.

The known methods all have drawbacks. With regard to the metal shimitself, it presents an extra component and an extra manufacturing step,thereby contributing to the cost of the assembly and the time formanufacturing a given length of material. The metal shim alsocontributes to the weight of the material. In the construction process,care must be taken that workers are not cut by the metal strips. Themetal limits the flexibility of the strip, and consideration must betaken of the thermal expansion and contraction properties of the variousbinders and additional layers that might be used to secure the strip tothe substrate. The metal strip also curls and bows and generally makeshandling the component unwieldy.

Considering those known assemblies that use either the protectiveplastic or the elastomeric cover to contain the metal shim, or amagnetic attractant, there are reasons to eliminate these protectivecovers, if possible. The protective covers also entail additional steps,in their manufacture, attachment to the fastener assembly, and removalfrom the fastener assembly after molding. All protective material mustbe removed from the hooks (or loops, if it be the loop carryingcomponent molded into the article), or else the hooks (or loops) willnot be exposed to fasten to the mating component. These extra steps musttypically be conducted away from a normal high speed production line andcontribute to the cost of the fastener assembly, the time for itsmanufacture, and also generate a relatively large volume of essentiallywaste material. Additionally, sometimes a residue from the covermaterial remains on the fastening component after removal, which isundesirable.

Thus, there is a great need for a touch fastener assembly that can bemolded into a molded product, without the use of metal shims orprotective covering for the fastener components. There is also a need tosimplify the manufacture of such mold-in assemblies, to minimize theircost, production time, and the time to prepare the molded product foruse. It is thus an object of the invention to facilitate a simple meansfor providing a magnetic attractability to the mold-in fastenerassembly. It is another object of the invention to provide a lightweight mold-in assembly that does not require a metal shim or protectivecovering for the fastener components, such as hooks.

SUMMARY

A preferred embodiment of the invention is a fastening component of aseparable fastener, where some portion of the fastening component thatis absolutely necessary for its fastening function, such as the hooks,the base to which the hooks are attached or a substrate that is used foranother purpose, is comprised of a magnetically attractive constituent,and where another portion of the fastening component is comprised of amagnetically inert constituent. Either the hook portion or the loopportion of a typical fastener may include the magnetically attractiveconstituent.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is thus a component of a twocomponent separable fastener, said component comprising a base; andcarried on said base, a plurality of fastening elements; wherein atleast one of said base and said fastening elements comprise amagnetically inert constituent that is intimately associated with amagnetic attractant constituent. The fastening elements and the base maybe unitary, such as in the case of an extruded component, or they may beof different precursors, such as in the case of a woven fastenercomponent.

The magnetically inert constituent may comprise a polymeric plastic or athermoplastic elastomer, including but not limited to polypropylene,polyethylene, polyamide, polyester, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride,acetal, acrylic, polycarbonate, polyphenylene oxide, polyurethane andpolysulfone.

The magnetic attractant may impregnate the magnetically inertconstituent, or it may coat or be coated by the magnetically inertconstituent.

The fastening elements may comprise hook-like elements or loop-likeelements.

The magnetic attractant may comprise a metal powder. The metal may beselected from the group consisting of iron powder, magnetite iron oxide,hematite iron oxide, iron(II) oxide, iron (III) oxide, iron(III)stearate. The magnetic attractant may also be an organo-iron compound ora rare earth metal.

In the case of a woven fastener, either the base structure or the hooksmay include the magnetic attractant, or both may do so. Further, thematerial that forms the hooks may be entirely of a magneticallyattractive material, with the material that forms the woven base may bemagnetically inert.

The fastener may also include a substrate, that is formed from aprecursor element that is separate from said base, and that is joined tosaid base. The fastening elements and the substrate may be coextruded orformed separately and laminated together. The substrate may be of awoven, non-woven, paper or foam material.

The fastening elements may comprise polymeric monofilaments.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention is a molded articlecomprising a body molded from a molding material, said body having atleast one surface and an interior body region, fixed to said surface ofsaid molded body, a separable fastener component for use with acomplementary separable fastener component, said separable fastenercomponent being according to any of the variations described above.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention is a component of a twocomponent separable fastener, the component comprising a base andcarried on the base, a plurality of fastening elements and, joined tothe base, a substrate, where the substrate comprises a magneticallyinert constituent that is intimately associated with a magneticattractant constituent.

The magnetically inert constituent may be as described above, withrespect to the embodiment where the magnetic attractant is associatedwith either the fastening elements or the base. The magneticallyattractive constituent may also be any of the magnetically attractivematerials identified above.

Yet another preferred embodiment of the invention is a method of makinga component of a two component separable fastener, the method comprisingthe steps of providing a magnetic attractant and associating saidmagnetic attractant with at least one of a base and a plurality offastening elements carried on said base; wherein at least one of saidbase and said fastening elements comprise a magnetically inertconstituent that is intimately associated with said magnetic attractant.

The magnetic attractant may be associated with the base only, or thefastening elements only, or both. A polymeric plastic resin may be mixedwith a magnetic attractant such as identified above. The polymericplastic resin may be such as is identified above.

According to still another preferred embodiment, the invention is amethod for making a molded article, said method comprising the steps ofmaking a component of a two component separable fastener, such asidentified above, having a magnetic attractant intimately associatedtherewith, according to the methods identified above. The fasteningcomponent is then placed into a mold, with its fastening face facing awall of said mold, said mold comprising: a fastening element receivingvalley region and a magnet inside a mold wall adjacent said fasteningelement receiving valley, whereby said magnet attracts said fastenercomponent toward said mold wall. Molding material is provided to saidmold to mold the product with the fastening component incorporatedtherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fastening component of theinvention, where the fastening elements are hook-type elements.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a mold for use with theinvention, having a cavity for insertion of the fastening component anda magnet within the mold walls, also showing a fastening component ofthe invention in place in the mold for molding.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to that shown in FIG. 2, wherethe mold-in product has hooks and anchors back-to-back.

FIG. 4 shows, schematically, the mold of FIG. 3, with molding materialbeing poured into the mold.

FIG. 5 shows, schematically, the molding material curing in the moldshown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows, schematically, a molded product including a fasteningcomponent of the invention, either a single sided fastener, or ananchored back-to-back fastening component.

FIG. 7 shows schematically an apparatus and process for manufacturing anembodiment of the fastener component of the invention, having a unitarymolded base carrying hooks on one surface thereof.

FIG. 8 shows schematically an apparatus and process for manufacturing anembodiment of the fastener component of the invention, having asubstrate and hooks which are co-extruded and then laminated together.

FIG. 9 shows schematically a fastening component of the invention havinga unitary molded base carrying hooks on one surface thereof, laminatedwith a separate substrate.

FIG. 10 shows schematically an apparatus and process for manufacturingan embodiment of the fastener component of the invention, having aunitary molded base carrying hooks on one surface thereof, which isfurther laminated with a substrate of a different material.

FIG. 11 shows schematically an embodiment of the invention, having amagnetically attractive loop carrying fastener component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A fastening component 100 of the invention is shown schematically withreference to FIG. 1. A base 110 has two surfaces: a fastening surface112 and a non-fastening surface 114. The base may be woven, non-woven,plastic, fabric or any other suitable structure or material. Theinvention is not limited to the mechanical form of the base, and anyknown mechanical form of base for separable touch-type fasteners isbelieved to be consistent with the invention. Often, the base is aplastic base and it is attached to a separate substrate of a differentmaterial. If the base is a woven structure, the base portion may bereferred to as a “ground fabric.”

The base presents on its fastening surface 112, a plurality of hook-typeelements 116. The hook-type elements may be shaped as hooks, ormushrooms or two tined anchors, or any other mechanical form ofhook-type element used for separable touch-type fasteners, which engageloop-type elements, as is known in the art. Such elements are referredto herein as “hook-type”, or “hook-like” or “hook” elements, whether ornot they are in the shape of hooks. Any known mechanical form, and anyas yet unknown mechanical form of hook elements is believed to beconsistent with the invention.

According to the present invention, either the fastening elements 116(hooks, as shown in the figure) or the base 110, or both, include amagnetically attractive constituent. As shown in FIG. 2, the fasteningcomponent 100 is used in a mold 221, having a main mold wall 220surrounding a main cavity 224. A fastening element-receiving mold valley222 is in the bottom wall 228 of the mold. Embedded in the bottom wall228 is a magnet 226, such as is known in the art.

The fastening component 100 is inserted into the mold, adjacent thefastening element-receiving valley 222, with the hooks 116 facing intothe valley 222. The magnet 226 attracts the fastening component 100toward the bottom mold wall 228, due to the magnetically attractivematerial contained in the fastening component 100. The magneticattraction secures the fastening component to the mold wall, therebypreventing the incursion of the molding material among the fasteningelements.

In addition to the magnetic attractant, other techniques can and aretypically used to prevent the fouling of the fastening elements with themolding material. Any such structures known to the art, and any suchstructures yet to be developed, are believed to be consistent with theinvention. For instance, a film strip can completely cover the fasteningelements, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,921, issued in 1987 toBillarant, entitled FASTENING TAPE DESIGNED TO BE ATTACHED TO A MOLDEDARTICLE DURING MOLDING, AND ITS ATTACHING METHOD. Rather than coveringthe entire surface of the fastening elements, strips of film can borderthe fastening element region, forming gaskets to prevent the incursionof film. Such film regions are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,975, issuedin 1988 to Hatch, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADAPTING SEPARABLEFASTENERS FOR ATTACHMENT TO OTHER OBJECTS. Also possible is to use anelastomeric covering that intimately (either completely, or partially)surrounds the fastening elements, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No.5,286,431 (for fully surrounding), issued to Banfield et al. in 1994,entitled MOLDED PRODUCT HAVING INSERT MOLD-IN FASTENER or, (forpartially surrounding) as shown in PCT application No. PCT/US94/07473for HOOK AND LOOP TYPE INSERT USED IN MOLDING PROCESS, published Jan.19, 1995, corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/087,917,filed on Jul. 6, 1993 a continuation of which issued as U.S. Pat. No.5,540,970, on Jul. 30, 1996, entitled DIE CUT MOLD-IN abandoned. All ofthe foregoing patents and applications are hereby incorporated herein byreference.

Another possibility is to use a fastening component, for instance havinghook-type fastening elements, that has a pattern of hooks with a maincentral region, circumscribed by a bald region that is substantiallyfree of hooks, which is itself circumscribed by a perimeter region ofhooks. The fastening element is used with a mold having a centralvalley, surrounded by a perimeter land, which is in turn typicallysurrounded by a perimeter valley. The perimeter valley mates with theperimeter region of hooks; the land mates with the bald region; and thecentral mold valley mates with the central main region of hooks. Theperimeter region of hooks may be partially fouled by the incursion offoam material, however, the main, central region of hooks is not fouled,being protected by the “sacrificial” perimeter hooks. Such anarrangement is described in co-pending, co-assigned U.S. Ser. No.08,391,695, filed Feb. 17, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,781, issued onMar. 4, 1997, in the names of Brian J. Routhier, Martin I. Jacobs andGeorge A. Provost, entitled SEPARABLE FASTENER HAVING A BALD PERIMETERRIB BOUNDED BY FASTENING ELEMENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,781, issuedMar. 4, 1997, which is incorporated fully herein by reference.

The molding process is shown schematically in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6, forincorporating an embodiment of the fastener of the invention that is aback-to-back hook and anchor fastener into a molded product. Thefastener component 300 is inserted into the main cavity 324 of the mold321, with its fastening elements 316 facing the fastening elementreceiving valley 322 and its anchoring elements 334 facing the centralregion of the main mold cavity 324. The magnet 326 attracts thefastening component 300 toward the magnet 326, thereby enhancing thesealing of the fastening component to the mold wall 328. This helps toprevent fouling of the hook components 316 during the molding process.

The next step in the molding process is shown schematically in FIG. 4,where the molding material 410 is introduced into the mold. The moldingmaterial may constitute a single component, or there may be multiplecomponents that are mixed as they are introduced into the mold, orbefore.

The article being formed 524 is shown schematically in FIG. 5. Theanchor elements 334 are surrounded by the molding material, therebyembedding the fastening component into the molded article. It is notnecessary that anchoring elements be used, and there are many ways knownto the art that do not use them. FIG. 5 is intended to show bothanchored and unanchored embodiments. A molded article 524 incorporatingthe magnetically attractive fastening component 300 with exposed hookcomponents 316 is shown schematically in FIG. 6. The optional anchoringelements 334 are shown in phantom, embedded in the molded material. Atypical type of molded article is a foam seat cushion, such as for anautomobile or airplane. Rather than foam, other types of moldedmaterials are also suitable.

In a typical embodiment of the invention, the hook elements 116 and thebase 110 are molded unitarily from the same precursor element as onemechanical element, and are thus composed of the same material. Suitablesuch materials include: polymeric plastics such as: polypropylene,polyethylene, polyamide, polyester, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride,acetal, acrylic, polycarbonate, polyphenylene oxide, polyurethane,polysulfone, and thermoplastic elastomers. Suitable magnetic attractantsinclude: all ferro-magnetic materials, such as iron (powder), iron oxide(various forms, including magnetite, hematite, iron(II) oxide, iron(III) oxide), iron(III) stearate (and various organo-iron compounds),rare earth metals and their compounds.

An apparatus for molding a fastening component having unitarily moldedfastening elements and base is shown schematically in FIG. 7. Thisapparatus is of the type shown generally in U.S. Pat. Nos.: U.S. Pat.No. 4,794,028, entitled METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING A MULTI-HOOKFASTENER MEMBER AND PRODUCT OF THE METHOD, issued in 1988 to Fischer;U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,243, entitled MULTI-HOOK FASTENER MEMBER, issued in1989 also to Fischer; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,310, entitled APPARATUSFOR MAKING A SEPARABLE FASTENER issued in 1988 also to Fischer. Allthree patents are incorporated herein by reference. An extruder barrel701 melts and forces molten plastic 703 through a die 702, into the nip706 between a base roller 704 and a cavity roller 705, that containscavities 711 to form the hooks 716 of a strip fastener 700, which extendfrom a web-like base 710 composed of the same material as is the hooks716. The strip fastener material formed at the nip 706 travels aroundthe periphery of the cavity roller 705 and around the stripping roller713, which assists in pulling the formed hook sheet from engagement withthe cavity roll 705. The strip is then passed to a wind-up roll, notshown.

EXAMPLES

In a first example, molded hooks, of the type known as Velcro Ultra 8brand hooks sold by Velcro Group corporation of Manchester, N.H., weremolded using the unitary continuous forming method, such as shown inFIG. 7, also described in the above cited U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,794,028,4,872,243 and 4,775,310 to Fischer. The material provided to theextruder was 40% (all percentages are by weight) Impet brand(polyethylene terephthalate PET) resin premixed with ferro-magneticfiller, sold by the Hoechst Celanese Company of Chatham, N.J., gradeEKX-155, blended with 60% Vandar brand (polybutylene terephthalate PBT)resin also sold by Hoechst grade MB90011A1. The processing temperaturesranged from 530° F. in the feed section of the extruder to 570° F. atthe die. The temperature of the base roll was 104° F., the cavity roll191° F. and the stripping roll was 83° F.

In a second example, molded hooks, of the same type, were again moldedusing the unitary continuous forming method such as shown in FIG. 7. Thematerial provided to the extruder was 40% Celcon brand (acetal) resinwith ferro-magnetic filler, sold by the Hoechst, grade MM3.5H blendedwith 60% Celcon brand (acetal) resin also sold by Hoechst, grade TX90PLUS. The processing temperatures ranged from 360° F. in the feedsection of the extruder to 375° F. at the die. The temperature of thebase roll was 105° F., the cavity roll 195° F. and the stripping rollwas 85° F.

It is also possible, as is well known, for the hook elements to beunitarily molded with a base and for a web-like substrate to bemanufactured from separate mechanical precursor elements, which aresubsequently or simultaneously joined. For instance, the hook elementswith base and the substrate can be co-extruded according to any knownmethod; such as by a cross-head die or by calendaring two separateextrusion streams together. In such a case, either the hooks with base,or the substrate alone, or both together can include the magneticattractant. They may be of identical materials, or different.

An apparatus for molding a fastening component having coextrudedfastening elements with a base and a substrate is shown schematically inFIG. 8. This apparatus is similar to that shown above with reference toFIG. 7, but uses a cross-head die. Molten plastic 803 h (for hooks andbase) and 803 s (for substrate) is forced through a cross-headcoextrusion die head 802, with two different die orifices 807 h and 807s. The two streams of molten plastic are forced into the nip 806 betweena base roller 804 and a cavity roller 805, that contains cavities 811 toform the hooks 816 of a strip fastener 800. A pool of hot hook materialP_(h) forms upstream of the nip, as well as a pool of hot secondsubstrate material P_(s). At the nip, the hook material is forced intothe cavities 811 in the hook roller 805. Simultaneously, the substratematerial is flattened and spread into a web shape, along with a quantityof the hook material (which forms a base unitarily with the hooks beingformed). The pressure in the nip joins the hook material and base, onthe one hand, with the substrate material, on the other hand such thatthe hooks 816 and the substrate 830 are formed, and joined to become thefastener component 800. This coextruded component travels around thehook roller 805, and is stripped therefrom in the same manner as is asimple extruded unitary hook and base component, shown in FIG. 7. Thestrip is then passed to a wind-up roll, not shown.

Rather than a single sided hook component, as shown in FIG. 8, aback-to-back hook and anchor fastening component can be coextruded asshown in FIG. 8, with the anchor material being in place of thesubstrate material. In such a case, the base roller 804 includes anchorcavities around its periphery. An apparatus for making such a structureis shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 381,632, filed on Jan. 31,1995, abandoned entitled BACK-TO-BACK HOOK FASTENER, which is adivisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 92,312, filedon Jul. 14, 1993, abandoned and in a corresponding published PCTapplication, PCT/US94/07556, filed on Jul. 6, 1994 and published on Jan.19, 1995 all of which are assigned to the assignee hereof, and all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

An article that could have been made with the equipment shown in FIG. 8is shown schematically in FIG. 9. The hooks 916 are composed of a firstmaterial. A base 910 is unitary with the hooks, having been extrudedtherewith. The substrate 930 is composed of the same material, or asecond, different material. The joining region, which may take manydifferent physical forms, exhibits a transition from the hook materialto the substrate material.

The substrate may be a woven or a non woven fabric.

It has already been discussed to use a unitary extrusion from which aremolded hooks and a unitary base, as well as a coextrusion, which joins abase with hooks to a substrate. Other methods may be used for joininghooks to a substrate. Another method is to laminate an already formedsubstrate to a unitary hook and base, as the hook carrying web is beingextruded and formed. This technique is described generally in U.S. Pat.No. 5,260,015, issued Nov. 9, 1993, entitled METHOD FOR MAKING ALAMINATED HOOK FASTENER, in the name of William J. Kennedy et al., whichis incorporated herein by reference. This method may be referred to asthe “one-wrap” method. The apparatus for implementing the method isshown schematically in FIG. 10. As with the embodiment shown in FIG. 7,an extruder barrel 1001 melts and forces molten plastic 1003 through adie 1002, into the nip 1006 between a base roller 1004 and a cavityroller 1005, that contains cavities 1011 to form the hooks 1016 of astrip fastener 1000, which extend from a web-like base 1010 composed ofthe same material as is the hooks 1016. The strip fastener materialformed at the nip 1006 travels around the periphery of the cavity roller1005 and around the stripping roller 1013, which assists in pulling theformed hook sheet from engagement with the cavity roll 1005. The stripis then passed to a wind-up roll, not shown.

A pre-formed sheet material 1030 is inserted into the nip 1006 to createthe strip fastener tape. The sheet material bonds intimately with theunitary base 1010 composed of hook material to become an integral partof the structure of the strip fastener. A set of pins 1017 may help tocarry the sheet material in a flat unwrinkled state. Other rollers andtensioning equipment 1019 are used to maintain the proper tension andflatness on the sheet material that will form the laminated substrate.

At the nip 1006, the sheet material 1030 is laminated to the hookmaterial, as indicated by the small half-circles downstream of the nip.(The half-circles are not indicative of any circular structure. They aresimply used to identify what is typically a flat sheet-like structure.)

A fastener strip formed by the apparatus shown in FIG. 10 may also berepresented schematically by FIG. 9. Again, the hooks 916 and a unitary,base 910 are laminated to the sheet material 930 forming a secondsubstrate. A transition region 950 is composed of both the sheetmaterial and the hook material.

There are many candidates for the sheet-like substrate material. Thematerial may be woven or non-woven. It may constitute an open or a tightweave. It may be paper, with or without an adhesive backing, or mayconstitute a thin sheet of foam. It can also constitute the loopcomponent of a normal hook and loop fastener pair. Any one of theforegoing may be useful to enhance the anchoring of the hook componentinto the article being molded. The type of sheet material substrate towhich the hooks are laminated is not material to the invention. Any ofthese substrate backing materials may be composed of a substantialportion that is magnetically attractive. As such, the laminated backingmaterial would be attracted to the magnet in the mold, and would achievethe goals of the invention.

The invention does not depend on the method by which the hook elementsor the substrate are manufactured. All that is required is that one orthe other or both can be treated with a magnetic attractant, such thatit can be attracted by the magnet in the mold.

Rather than the “one-wrap” laminating method shown in FIG. 10, anoff-line method can be used after the hook and base material is formedalone, such as shown in FIG. 7. Afterward, two rolled webs, one of hookcarrying base material, the other of the substrate, can be laminatedtogether. At the same time, a third web of a thin protective film can beapplied to cover the hooks, to protect them against intrusion of moldingmaterial. The film can be secured to the hook carrying base, and/orsubstrate, depending on their relative widths, ultrasonically, or byheat and pressure, or adhesive.

Most of the foregoing discussion has focused on the hooks being molded.However, this too is not required for the practice of the invention. Forinstance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,437, issued in 1955 to George DeMestral,entitled VELVET TYPE FABRIC AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME discloses ahook component, which is entirely woven, from weft and warp threads andauxiliary warp threads. The auxiliary warp threads are formed intoloops, which are cut, to form hooks. Typically, the auxiliary warpthreads are made from a monofilament plastic resin. This plastic resincan be composed of the magnetic attractant, as discussed above. Withsuch products, the hook material may also be referred to as “pile yarn”and the weft and warp threads, which compose the structure that servesas the base, are referred to as the ground yarns, or fabric.

While the foregoing has focused on a plastic matrix material as oneconstituent for either the hooks or the substrate, with a magneticattractant filler generally therethrough as another constituent, othermechanical forms of magnetically attractive articles are possible andwithin the contemplation of the invention. For instance, either thehooks or the substrate can comprise a magnetically attractive corematerial, which is coated with or sheathed by a magnetically inert(non-attractive) material. Conversely, the articles can comprise amagnetically inert material, coated with a magnetically attractivematerial. All that is required is that at least one of the fasteningelements or the substrate comprise a magnetically inert material that isin some fashion intimately associated or treated with a magneticallyattractive material.

The foregoing discussion has generally considered that the fasteningcomponent to be incorporated into the mold be the hook carryingcomponent. Although this is typical, it need not be the case. Therefore,the loop carrying component can alternatively be the portion of thefastener that is embedded in the molded article. In such case, as shownin FIG. 11, the loop carrying component 1100 will be the component thatwill include the magnetically attractive material. All of the discussionabove applies to this embodiment also. The loops 1116 may be made from aplastic resin impregnated with a magnetically attractive powder, or anyother suitable magnetically attractive form.

Thus, the invention accomplishes many goals. It provides a magneticallyattractive fastening component, without a stiff, unwieldy, costly,heavy, possibly dangerous metal shim. Production times are kept low,because the magnetic attractant need not be added as a separate stepafter the hooks (or loops) are made, being provided at the time thehooks are made, in the normal way that the hooks are made. The fasteningelements, such as the hooks, perform the dual functions of containingthe magnetic attractant, and fastening to the mating element. Waste isminimized. No off-line steps are required to incorporate or remove theelement containing the magnetic attractant. There are no problems ofincompatible thermal properties engendered by the magneticallyattractive material.

The foregoing discussion should be understood as illustrative and shouldnot be considered to be limiting in any sense. While this invention hasbeen particularly shown and described with references to preferredembodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat various changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theclaims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:
 1. A component of a two component separable hook and loop fastener, said component for use with a loop fastener, said component comprising: a. a base, having a fastening surface and a non-fastening surface; b. extending from said fastening surface of said base, and directly touching and adhered to said base, a plurality of hook fastening elements for use with a loop fastener; and c. a substrate comprising a uniform, homogeneous body of a magnetically inert polymeric constituent that is intimately associated with a magnetic attractant constituent, substantially throughout the entire volume of said substrate, wherein said substrate has an interface surface and an outside surface, and its interface surface directly touches and is integrally and continuously joined to said non-fastening surface of said base without any intervening adhesive and is substantially coextensive with said base.
 2. The component of claim 1, said magnetically inert constituent comprising a thermoplastic.
 3. The component of claim 1, said magnetically inert constituent comprising an elastomer.
 4. The component of claim 1, said substrate comprising a preformed web, and said outside surface of said substrate being substantially free of any material that comprises said base.
 5. The component of claim 4, said base and said substrate adhered to each other solely by heated, compacted portions of each.
 6. The fastening component of claim 1, said hooks and base comprising an extrusion formed from the same precursor melt, and said substrate comprising an extrusion formed from a different precursor melt. 